VET: Voluptuous Exotic Tease
by dark-phoenix-loves-kai
Summary: Lily's sick and goes to the vet. Gajeel goes and is bored out of his mind. Wait until he gets a load of Levy McGarden, licensed VMD and Lily's new doctor. She's innocence and sexiness all wrapped up into one amazing package. How will Gajeel survive?
1. Chapter 1

Dark-phoenix: *sighs dreamily* I am so in love with this pairing.

Lily: *eyes dark-phoenix warily* She's lost it.

Dark-phoenix: *giggles*

Lily: *smacks forehead* On with the story!

Red eyes narrowed to slits as they watched the clock that was hanging on the far-side wall. The damn thing wouldn't stop reminding him that he was wasting precious seconds of his life.

_Tick tock. Tick tock._

That fucking sound was already ringing in his sensitive ears. A growl escaped past his lips as he crossed his pierced arms over his muscular chest. "When is this damn vet getting here? We've been here for-fucking-ever!"

"It's only been fifteen minutes, and I'm sure that she has other patients."

"Well she needs to hurry her ass up. I've got better things to do than wait for her. This is already costing me more money than I have."

"You didn't need to come with me, Gajeel. I'm only here because of a cold. There's honestly nothing to worry about."

Gajeel glared at the small, black Exceed that was currently sitting on the exam table, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. "Like hell there isn't. You could be dying for all I know, and there's no way that you would tell me if you were so I'm here as a witness."

Lily sighed and held the blanket tighter around himself. He was far too tired to fight with the heard-headed man.

"This never would have happened if you just took better care of yourself." Gajeel muttered.

Lily lifted his head to glare at the infuriating man. "No, this never would have happened if _you _had fixed the heater like I told you to," he leaned in closer, "six months ago."

"Oi! I was busy with a mission. You know I needed the money!"

Lily let out an exasperated sigh. "Wow. You're putting money over me now. What a horrible partner you are."

"I'm paying for this stupid doctor's visit aren't I? Damn vet is gonna cost me a fortune and- God-fucking-damnit!" The sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the room as cotton swabs and glass shards fell into a heap on the floor. Both males stared at the mess before Gajeel let out a heavy sigh and dropped to his knees, carefully picking up what remained of the ruined container. He was staring so intently at the various pieces he picked up, and cursing anything and everything he could that he failed to notice the door open or hear the _click-clack _of high heels.

He was reaching for a piece of glass that had fallen under the exam table when he heard someone clear their throat. The unexpected sound surprised him so suddenly that he jerked up and banged his head under the exam table. The force of the hit sent Lily flying about five feet in the air before he safely landed in the arms of the person who had scared the living shit out of his partner.

Gajeel cursed as he crawled out from under the exam table (which he was pretty sure was dented where he had hit it), and rubbed the back of his head with a gloved hand. "What the fu-" His eyes widened as he caught sight of the black heels which were encasing what could only be cute feet that were attached to shapely legs. His eyes travelled up the path of those alluring appendages, frowning when a pencil skirt cut off his view at the knee. However, he smirked when he noticed how the skirt stretched and hugged curvy hips, accentuating the mystery person's waist even more. Up further, he caught sight of a thin sweater that fit nicely over a decently-sized bust.

He slowly stood up, not once taking his eyes off who he just realized was the veterinarian they had been waiting for. He mentally noted the slender curved of her neck, he big, brown eyes, and her long, blue hair that was tucked away into a braid. He suddenly had the urge to grab that damn braid and pull her close to him, feeling her body pressed up against his. His red eyes locked onto her pink, plump lips. God, he wanted to bite and suck on that full bottom lip of hers then kiss her senseless. Oh yeah, his mind was going places.

"…garden…"

The iron dragon slayer blinked. When did she start talking? "Uh…huh?"

The woman smiled. "I said I'm Doctor Levy McGarden. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I was caught up with another patient."

Gajeel nodded numbly as he noticed that Lily was safely tucked away in the pretty woman's arms, snuggled against that generous chest of hers. _'Lucky fucking cat.'_ He glared at the Exceed when he gave him a smug smile. Oh how he was going to pay when they got home.

"I didn't quite catch your name, Mr..?"

"Redfox. Gajeel Redfox." He wanted to slap himself. Couldn't he have sounded _more _indifferent and _less_ like he actually _wanted_ to tell her his name?

"Alright, Mr. Redfox. Mind telling me why there is a mess all over the floor?" Levy raised an eyebrow as Gajeel looked away and muttered about infuriating cats, outrageous costs, and an over all fucked up day. Finding that the black-haired, multi-pierced man would be little to no help, she turned her attention to her newest patient. "What seems to be the problem, Pantherlily?"

The small Exceed smiled as Levy gently placed him on the exam table. "Please call my Lily, and the problem would seem to be that I have a cold." He waved a hand in Gajeel's direction. "The big idiot over there hasn't gotten the heater fixed so the apartment is freezing."

Levy's eyes softened. "You poor thing. Well we can fix you right up." She grabbed the stethoscope that was hanging around her neck and placed the ear pieces into her ears and the other end against Lily's chest. "Now take a deep breath for me. That's it. Again please. Very good." She placed the stethoscope around her neck again. "well you sound congested. You seem to have a bit of mucus lodged in your chest." She grabbed his chart and started flipping through it. "You're temperature was a little high. It's just a slight fever. Nothing you really have to worry about."

Lily smiled. "That's great. Tell Mr. Iron-headed Idiot over there that I'm not dying so he can stop worrying now."

Levy laughed and turned to look at said "Iron-headed Idiot," who had remained silent throughout the whole thing. His face remained passive, but his red eyes held a certain gleam in them. She couldn't really put a finger on what it was. All she knew was that it kind of intimidated her…and excited her. She felt heat rush to her face as she made eye contact with him. Oh boy, he had such captivating eyes.

"Well, Doc? Is my cat okay?" He asked rather impatiently.

Levy nodded, causing a few strands of her blue hair to frame her pretty face. "Yes, he's fine. He has a slight fever and a small case of bronchitis. I'll give him a prescription that will prevent the bronchitis form getting any worse, and will clear out his chest so he's not as congested."

"Sounds great to me. Hurry up and give him whatever magic pill you have."

The doctor smiled as she walked over to a cabinet on the wall opposite to the exam table. She grabbed a clear bottle with a white label and a syringe. She turned back to the two males who were watching her every move. "If you'd be so kind as to stay still, Lily, I'm going to administer the first dose of the antibiotic that I'm going to prescribe to you. I must warn you that it will make you a little drowsy so go home and straight to bed. Okay?"

The Exceed nodded as Levy took the plastic cap off the needle and poked it through the rubber top of the clear bottle. She tipped it upside down and slowly pulled back the plastic applicator as she measured out the correct dosage.

With the needle in hand, she made her way over to Lily. She gently rubbed one of his fuzzy ears and gave him a reassuring smile. "This is the only shot that I'm going to give you. I promise that it will make you feel better." Without another word, she poked the needle through the soft skin of his arm and injected the antibiotic. Quickly she placed a small bandage on his arm, and disposed of the used syringe.

Immediately, Lily's eyes started to droop as the medicine took effect. Levy smiled affectionately at the sleepy Exceed then looked up to the big, burly man that was standing next to her. "Well, Mr. Redfox, that should help him out a bit." She handed him a piece of paper with the prescribed medications on it, and a business card. "Please call me if there are any complications."

Gajeel gently lifted up Lily, then grabbed the piece of paper and business card. "Um..thank, Doc."

"Just call me Levy."

Gajeel felt the tips of his ears go hot. "Uh okay, Levy."

Said woman smiled as she held Lily's chart to her chest, and walked over to the door. "You're welcome. Have a nice day, Mr. Redfox."

"Just Gajeel. Mr. Redfox was my father." He replied with a grimace as he made his way out the door and to the lobby.

Levy giggled. "Until next time, Gajeel!"

Said man turned around, staring wide-eyed at the breathtaking woman known as Levy McGarden. He looked at her wispy hair, slightly flushed face, and voluptuous figure, and knew immediately that he as in deep shit.

He was glad that Lily couldn't open his big, smart ass mouth for once.

Dark-phoenix: Well? Should I go on or keep it?


	2. Chapter 2

Levy: Wow. Chapter 2 already? Way to go, dark-phoenix!

Dark-phoenix: *sitting in front of her laptop, fingers twitching and muttering to herself*

Levy: *sweatdrops* Um…okay. *turns to the readers* Well, back by popular demand, here's the second chapter of **VET: Voluptuous Exotic Tease**. Enjoy!

Dark-phoenix: *starts cackling*

Levy: *shakes head* Oh dear.

Gajeel stood in the doorway of his kitchen, or at least he thought it was his kitchen. The damn thing looked as though a fucking tornado had run right through it. Varies boxes and containers were open, their contents spewing everywhere. The doors to the refrigerator were wide open with different fluids leaking out of it. The faucet was pouring out water into the overflowing sink. His granite counters were covered in flour and a mixture that could only be described as ooey-gooey vomit.

Gajeel resisted the urge to pull out his hair at the sight. How the living hell did his house turn into such chaos? Wasn't it only a few minutes ago that he was cleaning the living room _turned_ child's play room? He shook his head. No, _kitten's _play room. Lily had decided to use Gajeel's brand new leather couch into a toy, digging his claws into the leathery flesh and letting out a pleasured _meow _at the sound of his claws ripping apart the poor piece of furniture. The pierced man almost _murdered_ Lily when the small Exceed tried to _chew_ the wire to his _flat screen_ TV, the one he worked five different missions to get! And he ended up stepping on an old skateboard Lily had found and ended up falling flat on his ass. He didn't know which was hurt more: his ass or his pride.

At first, it struck Gajeel as odd at how weird his partner was acting. However, after reading the damn cat's meds information, he finally understood why. The stupid thing caused animals to act very babyish, have weird cravings (as was the reason to the fish-pancake combo that Lily had practically _begged_ for), and experience weird moods. The iron dragon slayer suppressed a shudder. Lily was more emotionally unstable than a hormonal, pregnant woman.

He snapped to attention when he heard the sound of giggling coming from the other side of the island counter smack-dab in the middle of his once _spotless_ kitchen. Carefully stepping over the labyrinth of smashed eggs, broken dishes, and milk that was all over the floor, the pierced man made his way around the counter, and caught sight of the thing that was causing him so many fucking migraines: Lily. Said cat was sitting on the floor, covered from head to toe in different food items. His once black fur was completely white, thanks to the flour that he managed to get a hold of. Gajeel's nose wrinkled in disgust as Lily "Om nom nom-med" on a piece of chocolate cake and fish. What was this cat's weird obsession with fish? Gajeel growled under his breath. Great, now his cat was starting to act like the fucking Salamander's blue, fish-obsessed cat.

Lily looked up at him and blinked his big, brown eyes at the tall man before his lips curled into an un-Lily-like grin. "Want some?" he asked while raising a small paw filled with chocolate cake.

Gajeel hissed before slapping the cat's paw away, successfully flinging cake onto the kitchen wall. "No, God damn it! What I want if for this shit to get picked up!" He flailed his arms around as he towered over Lily. "I want my kitchen spotless again! I want my stuff not to get ruined!" He pointed a finger at Lily, whose eyes were filling with tears. "I want my God damn cat back! That's what I want! And another thing! YOU…you…" He faltered when he heard the Exceed sniffle. Just fucking great. He made his cat cry.

Lily looked at Gajeel in fear. "B-but I am your cat, aren't I?" The scared expression on Lily's face almost broke Gajeel's heart. The man sighed then grumbled as he slowly got on his knees, ignoring the mess on the floor. Cautiously, he reached out a hand to Lily, and felt immense guilt when the small Exceed placed his hands over his head, trembling in fear. "Hey," he said as softly as he could, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I was just mad. Stop looking so damn scared." He rather roughly placed a hand on Lily's head, trying his best to show that he wouldn't hurt him.

After a while, Lily let his hands drop to his sides as he stared at Gajeel with a wide-eyed expression. Gajeel smirked at the feline. "You okay, cat?" He received a nod for an answer. "Good. Now let's go get you cleaned up. You smell like shit." Lily pouted and swiped a paw at the iron dragon slayer's head. "Shut up, meanie dragon."

Gajeel laughed as he headed to the bathroom with Lily in his arms. He kept laughing until he turned on the water. That's when all hell broke loose.

"HOLY FUCK, LILY!"

Levy leaned against the handle of the pitchfork as she wiped the sweat off her brow. The sun was brutal today.

Just as she was about to rake in some more hay into the wheel barrel, a roar of an engine reached her ears. She resisted the urge to sigh. She'd recognize that engine anywhere. Lifting a hand over her eyes to block out the glare of the sun, she watched as a jet black Lexus LFA pulled up onto the gravel driveway that led up to the farmhouse and barn.

A sad smile graced her lips. Of course _he _would still have his little _toy_.

The car came to a stop and the driver side door swung open. A tall, blonde-haired man stepped out of the luxury vehicle, and smiled at the petite bluenette. "Hey, Beautiful." He pushed the sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, looking at her over the lenses with his grey eyes.

Levy's grip on the wooden handle of the pitchfork tightened as heat rushed to her face. "Hi, Laxus." She replied politely.

The blonde's smile grew as he leaned his lean hip against the side of his most prized possession, shades in hand. He looked oddly out of place in an Armani suit, silk tie, and an eight-hundred dollar pair of shoes. He harshly clashed with the homey atmosphere of the Magnolia countryside. She found it hard to believe that she was married to the man at one point in time.

"How's your practice going?" He asked as he tilted his head, watching her with his sharp, grey eyes.

"Fine. How's your law firm doing?" She eyed him wearily when he gave her a cocky smile. The damn narcissist.

"It's going great."

"Okay. Then why are you here? You got everything you wanted in the divorce settlement, so there's really no reason for you to be here. Unless," she narrowed her brown eyes at her ex-husband, "This is about money?"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Um actually-"

"I knew it! Of course this would be about money!" Levy glared at Laxus, ready to throttle him with the pitchfork. "You never change do you, Laxus? Unbelievable." She sighed as she leaned the pitchfork against a stack of hay bales and made her way into the barn. The sound of gravel crunching under shoes alerted her that Laxus was indeed following close behind. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had cried over this man way too much. She couldn't let him hurt her again.

A large, warm hand landed on her shoulder, slowly coaxing her to turn around. Little by little she came face to face with the blonde-haired man. His steely grey eyes met her chocolate brown. His gaze then suddenly dropped down to her lips and before she knew what was happening, Laxus claimed her lips in a searing kiss. His warm, soft mouth moved sensually over hers as his tongue slid along her full bottom lip before delving into her hot mouth. Hot damn, the man could kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her flush against him as he continued to kiss her.

Levy was slowly recovering from her initial shock, felling a sense of panic start to rise within her. Laxus wasn't doing this because he loved her. She knew he didn't. Maybe at one point he did, but not now. No, this was solely about him needing money. The man didn't seem to realize that he was just barking up the wrong tree.

Bracing herself against the man's muscular chest, she pushed back with all her might and rightfully slapped the audacious man.

Minutes ticked by as Levy tried to catch her breath, watching as her ex-husband placed a tentative hand to his burning cheek, shock evident on his handsome face. Shock soon turned to anger as Laxus' lips curled into a snarl. He glared at his ex-wife with so much venom that Levy would have been dead ten times over if looks could kill.

Levy took a step back as Laxus leaned in close, any trace of playfulness gone. All that stood before her was an angry and bitter shell of the man she had fallen in love with five years ago.

She felt her blood run cold as Laxus grabbed a hold of her long, blue ponytail and yanked her head back before licking and biting at the exposed column of her neck. A whimpered escaped past her lips as he roughly bit and sucked on her sensitive skin. He pulled her hair harder, causing her to cry out in pain as her head was forced back even more. She soon heard the "pop" of his mouth leaving her skin. He leaned in close to hiss in her ear as he kept a vice-like grip on her. "You're going to regret every saying 'no' to me, _Levy_." He nipped her ear before letting her go, returning to his full height, and walking out of the barn.

When Levy heard the door slam and the car driving off onto the country road, she let out a shaky breath. The man always got her flustered. She raised a hand to her lips, her fingertips softly running over the tingling skin. As awful as her ex-husband was, he still affected her in the littlest ways.

She shook her head, making her now messy ponytail even messier. She didn't have time for such nonsense. She pushed any thoughts of Laxus out of her mind as she rolled up her sleeves and went back to work, grabbing horse feed and heading over to the stables. She'd be damned if she let her asshole of an _ex_-husband get the better of her again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dark-phoenix: Wow! It's been 5 months since I last updated. Sorry about that. A lot of things have happened. Without further ado, here is the third installment of ****VET: Voluptuous Exotic Tease!**

VET: CH 3

Mirajane was all smiles as she walked into Magnolia Animal Clinic, the only one of its kind, dealing with anything from cats and dogs to rarer breeds such as Exceeds and dragons. She gingerly took a seat and logged into the clinic's database. Her blue eyes glanced at the clock, taking note that the clinic wasn't open for another thirty minutes.

Flicking a lock of her white hair over her shoulder, she hummed a light tune while looking over the appointments booked for the day. Mirajane frowned. Levy was booked for six hours straight. Poor girl. She really needed help. Making a promise to find some help for the overworked veterinarian, the white-haired woman put on her headset, ready to take on the day.

Just then, a short bluenette walked into the clinic, her waist-length, dark blue hair trailing behind her. Mirajane smiled at her. "Goodmorning Wendy."

"Goodmorning Mira! How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you doing?" The small girl gave her a mega-watt smile. "I'm doing amazing. I love this internship!" Mirajane laughed as Wendy squealed in excitement.

"That's good. What do you say we get this day started?"

"Okay!" Wendy took her seat next to Mirajane, excitement radiating off her petite body. The phone suddenly rang. Mirajane put her game face on, causing Wendy to have to stifle her giggles as she connected the call.

"Magnolia Animal Clinic, Mirajane speaking. How may I help you?"

XxXxXxX

Levy McGarden arrived at work at six-thirty five in the morning. The clinic didn't open until seven so she had a little less than thirty minutes to herself, and God did she need it. She sat behind her desk, reminiscing about what transpired between her and Laxus yesterday afternoon.

She ran her fingers over the bruise that her brute of an ex-husband had left on the creamy skin of her neck. A shiver crawled up her spine. To say she was a bit flustered would be a _huge_ understatement.

The bluenette shook her head and grabbed a stack of folders on her desk. She was behind her chart log…by more than two hundred and fifty charts. Biting back a sigh of frustration, Levy opened a manila folder and set to the task of reading when she suddenly heard what sounded like a bar brawl transpiring in the lobby. Her ears perked up when she heard Mirajane yelling at someone. What was going on out there?

As quietly as she could, she tiptoed her way to her closed office door. She blinked in confusion as the ruckus seemed to get louder. She raised a hand to her mouth to muffle the gasp that escaped past her lips. She could have sworn that she heard something glass (and fairly expensive) break…right next to her door.

Before she could even take a step back, the door swung open and hit her. The petite bluenette made a small "Eep!" as she fell to the hardwood flooring.

"Hey Doc! I need to talk to you about my cat – H-Holy shit!"

Levy groaned as she placed a hand to her throbbing head and opened her brown eyes. She blinked out of her daze as she slowly sat up, wincing as the ache in her head intensified. Very carefully, she lifted her gaze to a familiar looking black-haired, red-eyed, multi-pierced man. "Gajeel?"

Said man was looking anywhere but her; a pink tinge visible on his tanned cheeks.

"Gajeel, what are you-"

"Your clothes."

Levy looked at him in utter confusion. "Huh?"

He shook his head and waved an impatient hand in her direction. "Your fucking clothes!"

Levy slowly shifted her gaze from the flustered man (why he was flustered, she didn't know), and immediately felt a blush stain her cheeks. During the fall, her skirt had risen from her knee to her upper thigh, exposing her thigh high stockings that were attached to a garter belt; her red lace panties on display for the whole world to see. "O-Oh! I'm so sorry!" She quickly pulled down her skirt as she scrambled to make herself presentable again.

Gajeel gulped. Damn, the vet wore some kinky shit. He was trying his best to fight the nosebleed that he felt would gush everywhere at any moment. He looked at her, seeing how her beautiful skin was now sporting a cute blush. Her high ponytail was loose. Holy fuck, she was a hot mess. How was he ever going to be able to not think dirty thoughts about the woman in front of him?

His mind went blank. What was he here for?

"What are you here for, Gajeel?"

Damned if he knew. He suddenly felt something brush against his leg and giggled. Oh right.

Reaching down, he clamped a hand on Lily, and lifted him up. He held up the cat in front of the puzzled doctor. "My cat. You gave him some weird shit and now he's acting like a fucking pussy. You fucked him up!" He yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at the veterinarian.

Levy blinked in utter confusion. "What? Me? I only gave him something so he could get better." She had to crane her neck as Gajeel towered over her. "Um could you-"

"What the fuck did you do to my cat? You need to help me fix him because I…I…" His red eyes widened in shock. Had he really just asked for help from a sexy, highly intelligent woman? All for his cat? "Um.."

She leaned in closer, her big brown eyes searching his surprised red ones. "You what?"

"Uh.. I um… my cat.. His meds are screwing him up, and I don't know what to do." He scratched his cheek nervously as he loosened his grip on Lily. The small feline climbed up his partner's studded arms and sat on Gajeel's shoulder. His big eyes sparkling as he looked at Levy. "Hiya!" He said as he waved a paw.

"Hi Lily." Levy giggled. "How are you? Feeling better?"

Lily nodded and gave her a toothy grin. "I feel super awesometastic!"

Gajeel snorted which resulted in Lily swiping him with a paw and Levy glaring at him. "What? It was stupid."

Levy reached up and plucked the small Exceed from Gajeel's shoulder. "Must you be such a brute, Mr. Redfox?"

"What was that?" came the gruff reply.

"I _said_," she spoke louder, "That Lily's reaction to the medicine is normal. It should wear off within the next twenty-four hours. There is nothing to worry about."

The man looked at her with a skeptical expression before nodding in understanding. "Whatever you say, Doc. Nothing better happen to my cat or else."

"Nothing will happen. Your cat is in good hands."

Lily jumped into Gajeel's arms as the man turned to leave. He noticed the light flush that was visible on Gajeel's tanned cheeks. _'How cute.'_ He thought.

Without another word, Gajeel stomped down the hall to the lobby. Lily peeked over his shoulder at the two stunned females. "Bye!" He giggled and waved at them, ignoring the steam coming out of Gajeel's ears."

"Shut up, cat!"

XxXxXxX

Levy place a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself. Not only had she been knocked on her ass, but her undergarments had been on display for the whole damn world; the whole world being him.

"Why of all people did it have to be him?" She sighed and sat down at her desk about to get back to work when there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

Mirajane poked her head in, a smirk widely displayed on her face. "You got a minute?" She asked sweetly.

Levy sighed again and motioned to the lavish loveseat situated against the wall of her office. "Make it quick. I'm a bit busy." She blinked in surprise when Mirajane jumped onto the seat and looked at her with a serious expression. This was not good.

"Tell me about Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Dangerous."

Levy rolled her eyes and put down the chart she had in her hand. This was going to take a while.


	4. Chapter 4

Dark-phoenix-loves-kai: Huh… Okay, I know a lot of you are mad at me for being gone so long. Sorry! A LOT has happened. Hopefully I can update a lot more now that things have mostly settled down..kinda. Anywho, here is the fourth installment of VET: Voluptuous Exotic Tease. Enjoy!

VET: CH 4

Gajeel stared at the three men in front of him. His observant eyes noted the slight layer of sweat gathering on their foreheads. A smirk made its way to his face as he stared cockily at them. "Looks like this one is mine, boys." He said as he placed the five cards he had in his hand down onto the table. "Four ladies."

A pink haired man cursed and threw his cards onto the table. "Damn it! How do you keep getting all the good hands, metal-head?"

"He's cheating, Natsu. He has to be." A black haired man on Gajeel's right spoke up as he too tossed his cards onto the table.

Gajeel chuckled, taking a drag from his cigar. "I'm just that awesome." He said as he gathered the money on the table, dragging the small pile closer to himself. A puff of smoke filled the air as he exhaled. "Don't get your panties in a bunch just 'cause ya two suck." He said with a smirk before tearing his gaze away from them, looking at the quiet young man to his left. "Hey kid. You okay?"

The man looked up at Gajeel as if he just noticed he was there. Gajeel's red eyes immediately clashed with those of the young man; one blue eye and one red eye gazing at him. _Heterochromia,_ Gajeel noted in his mind. "Huh? I'm fine. I'm just thinking, boss." The man blinked when Natsu leaned in close, staring at him intently. "Is there something you need, Natsu?"

Natsu frowned and shook his head. "You seem to be out of it a lot. What'cha thinking about, Ian?"

"Oh… Well um… It's nothing." Ian said while scratching his cheek in embarrassment. He jumped in surprise when the black-haired man leaned in close on his other side. "Grey?"

"C'mon rookie. You've been acting weird for the past week and a half. If you keep it up, you're gonna get hurt on a mission. Talk to us, man. We're your teammates after all."

Ian shook his head; his brown hair swaying from the motion. "I'm fine. I won't let it get in the way of work. Let's just get back to the game." He reached for his beer and frowned when Gajeel pulled it away. "Give it back, Redfox."

"Not until you come clean, Thanatos. Spit it out." Gajeel said as he held the beer bottle out of Ian's reach. "It's a woman, ain't it?"

"Lay off. I know I'm the newest member on the team, but that doesn't mean you can just boss me around."

A snort was his only reply.

Grey smirked. "Geez Ian. Why are you getting all defensive?" He suddenly stood up hastily, knocking his chair over and pointing an accusing finger at Ian. "It is a woman! Our rookie is having girl problems!"

"Oi! Get your damn clothes back on, stripper!" Gajeel shouted, throwing a random shoe at Grey. "You're not allowed to be naked in my house, ya damn weirdo!"

Natsu rolled his eyes as the two men started bickering before turning his attention back to the youngest member of their team. "Seriously Ian, something's bothering you. As weird as we are, we're all worried about you. You're one hell of a tracker. We'd be so lost without you which is why we vouched for you to be on the team. Give us something to work with."

"Alright… Alright…." Ian sighed as he flicked his mismatched gaze to Gajeel who was busy yelling at Grey to "not let his junk touching anything for fear of getting castrated." The tracker shrugged a shoulder slightly as he glanced at Natsu out of the corner of his eye. "There's this girl. I met her two weeks ago on the night we finished that bounty hunter mission."

"The Lowery Brothers." Natsu said in remembrance.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. I kind of bumped into her on my way home. We only talked for a bit but I can't get her out of my mind." Shaking his head, he finished his beer before standing up. "It won't get in the way of work. I'm gonna head home now."

"Oi. You're leaving already? Things were starting to get go-What the fuck are you doing wearing _MY_ boxers?!" Gajeel sputtered at Grey who was in fact wearing Gajeel's grey boxers with black kittens printed on them. Grey only shrugged at the man's outburst, already used to them by now.

Ian raised a brow and shook his head, opting to not comment on the weird choice of undergarment his superior owned. "Anyways, I'm off. I'll see you guys bright and early. Oh, and by the way," He said as he tossed his cards onto the table, "Royal flush beats four of a kind." He smirked, grabbing his earnings before putting on his leather jacket and promptly leaving Gajeel's apartment.

Natsu leaned over and looked at the cards that Ian had been holding. "Wow." He whistled lowly, his onyx-colored eyes looking up at Gajeel. "Sorry metal-head. He got you."

Gajeel released Grey from the kung-fu headlock he had him in before stalking over to the poker table they had set up in Gajeel's living room. "Tch. That kid is something else." The older man muttered as he took another puff of his cigar. The creaking of a door alerted him to the fact that there was someone else there along with him, Nastu, and Grey. Once he saw who it was, he swore. "Fuck…"

"Lily! Where ya been? We haven't seen you at all this week." Natsu said with a huge grin.

Pantherlily blinked sleepily at Natsu before a cheeky smile made its way to the Exceed's face. "Hiya Natsu!" He shouted as he launched himself at the man.

"Whoa Lil! What's gotten into you?" Natsu said as he held Lily at arms length. "Uh Gajeel? What the hell is wrong with him? He's looking at me fun-Yowh! He bit me!"

Grey chuckled as he patted Lily's head. "Good boy, Lily." He blinked and took a closer look at the Exceed that was currently latched onto a crying Natsu's hand. "Is he… teething?"

"No!" came the defensive reply. "My cat don't fucking teeth!" Gajeel snapped as he pushed Grey aside and grabbed Lily by the scruff of his neck. Lily squeaked and immediately unlatched from Natsu's swollen hand. His red eyes glared at the grinning cat, ignoring the way Lily blinked cutely up at him. No, that was not cute. Gajeel Redfox did not do cute. Ever. "What do you think you're doing, cat?" Trying to keep his annoyance in check, Gajeel attempted not to glare too harshly at Lily, nor throttle a wailing Natsu. "I told you to stay in your room. Can't you just listen the first damn time I tell you?"

Lily winced at the dark tone his partner's voice took. "I-I had a nightmare. I was scared." He said softly, his ears lying flat against his head.

"Scared? Lily was scared? What the hell is going on?" Grey muttered, finally dressed in his own clothes although his shirt was unbuttoned.

Gajeel glared at him. "Shut your lip. Let's call it a night." Putting out his mostly-smoked cigar, he placed Lily on the tabletop. "Head back to bed, Lil. Nightmares ain't real. Now, move your ass."

Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but refrained when Grey paced a hand on his shoulder. The black-haired man shook his head in warning. Gajeel was the leader of their team and very much a private man. To comment on this weird (an equally embarrassing) situation would surely bring about the multi-pierced man's wrath. Sighing, Natsu nodded in understanding. "Alright. We'll see you later, Gajeel… And you too, Lily." He said before leaving along with Grey.

When the front door closed, Gajeel sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. This wasn't how the night was suppoed to go. It was supposed to be just a regular poker night with the guys from his unit. Glancing at Lily who was busying smelling an open beer bottle and scrunching his small nose in disgust, Gajeel resisted the urge to break something. That doctor had said a day or two was all it would take for Lily to get better. They were pushing a week and his cat was still acting like a fucking pussy.

"Levy was wrong." He muttered under his breath. _Not Levy_, he reminded himself, _Doctor MacGarden. _Damn that woman. She had plagued his thoughts yet they only met once. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about that long-blue hair of hers or those big, brown eyes that he seemed to get lost in just by staring at them. What the hell was wrong with him? He sounded like some sappy idiot.

Growling and muttering under his breath, he proceeded to clean up the discarded beer bottles and mostly-finished cigars as well as the snacks they had munched on. After dumping the trash in the bin inside his kitchen, Gajeel walked back to the living room, pausing in the doorway. Lily sat on the table, trying his best to gather all the cards so he could put them away. "Didn't I tell ya to go to bed?"

The small Exceed stopped, his paw in mid-air as he reached for another card while his other paw held the rest of the deck against his small chest. "Huh?"

"I told ya to go to bed. It's late." Gajeel said as he plucked the cards out of Lily's paws, gathering the rest and putting them away. He looked back when he got no response and frowned in confusion at Lily who had a paw resting on his stomach and his ears drooping. "Lil, you okay?"

His partner looked up at him with slightly sunken eyes. "I don't feel too good. I think I'm gonna-" He never finished his sentence as he suddenly threw up all over the table and partly on Gajeel's beige living room carpet. "Ugh…"

"FUCK!" Gajeel snarled, rubbing his temples. He felt a massive migraine coming on. There was no other choice. Reaching for the phone, he made up his mind. He had to call her. The only problem was he really didn't want to.

xXxXxXx

Levy stared at the television that was on mute. The clock read eleven forty-five. She was usually in bed by ten. For some reason, she just couldn't fall asleep or relax for that matter. The young doctor found her mind wandering back to the one thing that had been plaguing her mind for a few days now: Gajeel Redfox. His red eyes were vibrant and piercing, immediately captivating her. That messy, black hair of his gave him that wild, untamable look along with the multiple piercings he had. She couldn't help but wonder if he felt as hard and rough as he looked with that tall, six-foot-five frame covered with defined, bulky muscles.

A groan of frustration escaped her as she tugged on her long, blue strands. What in all of Magnolia was she thinking? The man was arrogant, brash, and rude. He was completely not her type. The voice in the back of her mind pointed out that he ex-husband shared some similarities with Mr. Redfox.

"Oh come off it." She said, trying to convince herself otherwise. Sinking in her chair, the petite bluenette knew that she was only kidding herself. From the moment they had met, the instant attraction between them grew more stifling. His air of mystery drew her in even more. There was something about him; something he hid from the world. Was it pain? Bitterness? Or, dare she say, loneliness?

She jumped suddenly when the phone rang, placing a hand over her chest as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Finding her resolve, Levy picked up the phone. "Hello?" She found herself frowning when she got no answer. But she could have sworn that she head breathing on the other end of the line. "Hello?" She tried again, only being rewarded with the other person's breathing yet again. Her chocolate brown eyes narrowed in annoyance at the lack of a response. "I don't like to hang up abruptly so I'm letting you know that I'm hanging up." Just as she moved the receiver from her ear, a gruff voice caught her attention.

"Wait! Wait damnit! I.. It's Gajeel Redfox. Is this Doctor MacGarden?"

Levy blinked in surprised, the phone instantly becoming glued to her ear again. "Mr. Redfox? I… Yes, this is Doctor MacGarden. IS there anything I can help you with?" Pausing, she looked at the clock that her sister gave her; the analog coo-coo clock reading it was well past midnight now. Time sure moved fast when your mind was wandering. "This is my private number. I never give this number out. How did you manage to get it?"

Gajeel scratched his cheek and coughed awkwardly. "Stumbled across it." He said lamely before shaking his head even though the woman couldn't see him. "I'm calling about my cat. He ain't back to normal yet. He's still acting all weird and shit. Plus, he uh… kinda threw up right now."

The bluenette bit her lip in worry. It sounded like Lily was having a severe reaction to the antibiotics. Pushing aside her confusing thoughts about the very man she was on the phone with, Levy immediately went into "doctor mode". "Tell me, does the feline have a fe-"

"The fuck's a 'feline'?"

Levy audibly sighed. "The _cat_, Mr. Redfox. I'm talking about the _cat_. Does he have a fever?"

"Nah. Not really. He just keeps upchucking. I can't get him to stop."

"Ah." Levy rubbed her neck, trying to massage away some of the tension she felt. "Listen, there is a twenty-four hour animal hospital three blocks from my office. They should be able to take a look at him." Grabbing her coat, she set about finding her shoes. "I'll meet you there." The words left her mouth before she could stop them.

Obviously, Gajeel was a more observant man than she thought. "Uh… Why are you gonna meet us there, Doc?"

Levy wracked her mind to find a good enough excuse. "U-Uh… I'm his doctor! I should still be there to provide some information on his current condition and treatment. Now shut up and get going. He needs medical attention." She snapped before hanging up the phone and blowing a loose strand of hair away from her face.

As she grabbed the keys to her car, she couldn't help but think that this was going to be a long, long night.

xXxXxXx

Thirty minutes later, Levy burst into the waiting room at Magnolia Emergency Animal Hospital. Her eyes easily spotted Gajeel who was in the far left corner of the room. She thought it was funny how he was the only one on the side of the room while everyone else was squished together on the other side. She had a feeling she missed something very important while on her way to the hospital. A smile made its way to her face when she saw Lily was tucked away in the man's arms while sound asleep.

Making her way over to the odd pair, she ignored the stares of everyone else in the room. Levy reached out and gently tapped the large man's shoulder. "Mr. Redfox?" She whispered so as not to wake Lily. The man yawned and grumbled in his sleep before snuggling Lily. Levy giggled and shook her head as she tapped his shoulder again. "Gajeel? It's Doctor Levy MacGarden. I'm here now."

Gajeel cracked open a red eye, looking with slight annoyance before realizing who it was. "You're here." He said simply as he stared at her.

Levy nodded. "I am. How is he?" She gestured to the slumbering Exceed.

Gajeel looked down when Lily shifted in his arms. "He's okay, I guess. The nurse took some of his blood. He cried like a fucking pansy. The only way to shut him up was to make him fall asleep."

The bluenette smiled and gently rubbed one of Lily's ears. "They'll find out what's wrong with him. It'll be fine, Mr. Redfox."

"Gajeel."

Levy blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

The iron dragon slayer snorted. "Tch. It's just Gajeel. Stop with the 'Mr. Redfox' bullshit. That's my old man. Do I look like a perverted old geezer to you?"

Levy withheld her comment.

"Hey! I ain't no damn pervert!" Gajeel growled, waking the small cat in his arms.

Lily blinked open his eyes as he stifled a yawn. "Gaj, shut up. Tool loud…" He murmured as he started to fall asleep again.

Gajeel opened his mouth to respond when the nurse walked over to them. He snapped his mouth shut and looked at Levy who nodded at the nurse. Why she was there, he didn't know, but he was glad she was.

xXxXxXx

Laxus lifted the glass of scotch to his lips and drank down the liquid. He didn't remember how long he had been at the bar; a few minutes or hours maybe?

Flagging down the bitch of a bartender, he ordered another drink. When did his life go to shit? His law firm wasn't making as much money as it had been five years ago. He had had a beautiful wife who had been willing to bend over backwards for him. So when exactly did this fucked up disaster of a life happen?

Laxus scoffed before downing the liquor in one go. He glanced to his left, spotting a brunette with large breasts sitting at the bar. Catching her eye, he winked at her. The woman smiled and swirled her tongue around the salted rim of her martini glass. The blonde man smiled back. He was so getting lucky tonight.

He motioned for the woman to follow him, leading her outside. Due to his good looks, he had never been short of women. Who was to say he couldn't have a little fun? He'd had a harem of women when he was married to Levy.

He chuckled. Like marriage had ever stopped him from having fun.

(* *) (* * ) (* *)

Dark-phoenix-loves-kai: And this is the end of chapter 4. Now there are some things that need to be clarified with this story. This is an AU, meaning alternate universe. The setting is not the same as the one in the mange or anime. There are modern things that are not powered by lacrimas such as cars, phones, etc. However, there are still magical properties to the setting. Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy are still dragon slayers. Exceeds exist as they normally do, not just annoying cats that meow all the time. Everyone still has their magic. There are no guilds. This explains why Levy and Gajeel have not met before. Gajeel's occupation will be revealed soon. Oh and I thought I would try something a bit different by adding my own character into the story. She hasn't come in yet, but I used one of my friend's characters. Now, I hope this has cleared up some of the confusion about the story's setting. I really wasn't planning on explaining this and just letting people's mind wander. Use your imagination, so to speak. Anyways, please review and let me know what you thought. Believe it or not, feedback from you guys helps keep me sane. Until next time!

Annyeong!


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